Suspicious fires concern cops

Police have appealed for the public’s help after three suspicious vehicle fires occurred across Geraldton in less than a week. Detective Senior Sergeant Bruce McDonald the fires appeared to be unrelated but were “alarming” because current weather conditions risked the fires spreading. “Thankfully, no one has been injured and the fires have been dealt with quickly by firefighters before they spread but it’s a very serious arson offence,” he said. In the first incident, a vehicle stolen on New Year’s Eve in Rudds Gully was found the following day ablaze in bushland near Abraham Street in Karloo. Residents previously told The Geraldton Guardian they heard the vehicle hooning in surrounding streets causing damage to street signs and fences. This was labelled one of the few “disappointing” exceptions to an otherwise well-behaved New Year’s Eve by Geraldton police operations manager Sergeant Steve Beswick. Days later, an unknown number of offenders broke into a shed at the rear of an unoccupied Rangeway property between 1am and 1.30am and deliberately set fire to an abandoned Holden Commodore utility inside. Det-Sen. Sgt McDonald said neighbours noticed the fire and contacted firefighters who were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread. “Thankfully, no one was home at the time and no one was injured,” he said. “But this is a very serious arson offence given the time of the year.” The third incident was reported to police at 5.15am yesterday when a stolen courier vehicle was seen ablaze in the carpark of the Wintersun Hotel in Bluff Point. The vehicle had been parked under trees in a garden bed and was quickly engulfed by flames according to police. Det-Sen. Sgt McDonald said detectives had been conducting extensive inquiries into the three incidents and would like to speak with anyone who may be able to assist with the investigation. “Currently, police believe the fires are unrelated,” he said. “There’s no concerns about this being a series of arson incidents but we’re conducting extensive inquiries to get to the bottom of these.”